Unveiling Shale Gas Reservoir Structures with Seismic and MT Data: WALDIM-Based Study from East Kalimantan Indonesia

Authors

  • Suharsono Suharsono Geophysical Engineering Department UPN Veteran Yogyakarta
  • Yustisio Dianwiyono Geophysical Engineering Department UPN Veteran Yogyakarta
  • Edy Wijanarko Testing Center for Oil and Gas “LEMIGAS”
  • Wahyu Hidayat Geophysical Engineering Department UPN Veteran Yogyakarta
  • Muhammad Fachrul Rozi Kurniawan Geophysical Engineering Department UPN Veteran Yogyakarta
  • Yudha Agung Pratama Geophysical Engineering Department UPN Veteran Yogyakarta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17794/rgn.2026.2.8

Keywords:

Kutai Basin, WALDIM, shale gas, seismic, magnetotelluric

Abstract

The Pamaluan Formation, which has a Total Organic Carbon (TOC) value of up to 1.78% and varying degrees of thermal maturity, offers the Indonesian Kutai Basin considerable potential for shale gas production. This research integrates seismic and magnetotelluric (MT) geophysical techniques to improve the knowledge of shale gas prospectivity in the area. There are nine MT sounding locations and nine 2D seismic lines in the dataset. By creating a time structure map, the anticline and syncline structures that were detected by seismic interpretation were further examined. 2D resistivity inversion models were created by processing MT data using the rho variance approach and the Python WALDIM module. A dominant anticline-syncline structural trend oriented roughly 45° from true north is indicated by the data. With an average strike of 43.5°, MT analysis demonstrates a dominant two-dimensional (2D) geoelectrical dimensionality that is in good agreement with local geological trends. At depths of 500–1000 m in anticlines and 2000–3000 m in synclines, zones of low resistivity (1–5 Ohm.m) were found, with thicknesses varying from 2000 to 4000 m. Low resistivity anomalies are interpreted to represent potential shale gas-bearing intervals, consistent with the geological framework of the Kutai Basin. The integration of seismic and MT data successfully delineates folds, faults, and low-resistivity anomalies, interpreted as potential shale gas-bearing intervals, highlighting the significance of a multidisciplinary approach in mitigating exploration risk and enhancing shale gas prospectivity evaluation in the Kutai Basin.

Downloads

Published

2026-03-13

Issue

Vol. 41 No. 2 (2026): No. 78

Section

Petroleum Engineering and Energetics

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Suharsono Suharsono, Yustisio Dianwiyono, Edy Wijanarko, Wahyu Hidayat, Muhammad Fachrul Rozi Kurniawan, Yudha Agung Pratama

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Creative Commons-BY

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

In agreeing this form, you certify that:

  1. You read the ethical codex of the RGN zbornik available at journal web.
  2. You submitted work is your original work, and has not previously been published and does not include any form of plagiarism.
  3. You own copyright in the submitted work, and are therefore permitted to assign the licence to publish to RGN zbornik.
  4. Your submitted work contains no violation of any existing copyright or other third party right or any material of an obscene, libellous or otherwise unlawful nature.
  5. You have obtained permission for and acknowledged the source of any illustrations, diagrams or other material included in the work of which you are not the copyright owner.
  6. You have taken due care to ensure the accuracy of the work, and that, to the best of your knowledge, there are no false statements made within it.
  7. All co-authors of this submitted work are aware of, and in agreement with, the terms of this licence and that the submitted manuscript has been approved by these authors.

 

Publication licence

You retain copyright in your submitted work, according to journal license policy (CC-BY). By signing this form you agree that RGN zbornik may publish it under the publication licence. In summary the licence allows the following:

Anyone is free:

  • To copy, distribute, display, and perform the work.
  • To make derivative works.

 

Under the following conditions:

  • The original author must always be given credit.
  • The work may not be used for commercial purposes.
  • If the work is altered, transformed, or built upon, the resulting work may only be distributed under a licence identical to this one.

 

Exceptions to the licence

In addition to publishing the work printed under the above licence, RGN zbornik will also enable the work to be visible online.

The journal editorial can change the licence rules anytime but it cannot retroactively restrict author(s) rights.

 

How to Cite

Suharsono, S., Dianwiyono, Y. ., Wijanarko, E. ., Hidayat, W., Fachrul Rozi Kurniawan, M. ., & Agung Pratama, Y. . (2026). Unveiling Shale Gas Reservoir Structures with Seismic and MT Data: WALDIM-Based Study from East Kalimantan Indonesia. Rudarsko-geološko-Naftni Zbornik, 41(2), 113-128. https://doi.org/10.17794/rgn.2026.2.8